1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to situations where it is necessary to elevate the feet to reduce discomfort in the lower legs and feet of a person.
2. Status of Prior Art
There is a specialized field of medical science dealing with the use of mechanical devices that are designed to support feet and legs in the rehabilitation of injured or impaired joints and muscles. Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,487 discloses a leg elevator for use after surgical procedures. Pecheaux U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,060 and Andrews U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,796 disclosed leg and foot elevators for the postoperative period. These devices unlike that of Engleman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,486 are intended for specific applications and taught a leg elevator that is useful in all applications where the leg is immobilized. None of these devices are designed for general applications where a user simply desires to elevate the feet to minimize discomfort caused by edema or swelling of the feet and lower legs after hours of being ambulatory. There is a need for apparatuses that are portable and in general useful for general relief for user with swelling feet, legs etc. Jackson, Design U.S. Pat. No. 416,428 disclosed an ornamental design for an inflatable orthopedic pillar with aperture that is useful for orthopedic applications. Though not specifically designed for elevating the foot, Raftery, U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,967 disclosed a multiple position resilient support cushion that could be formed from foam material or an air inflatable bladder. The apparatus of Raftery unlike that of Johnson was designed to support the head and body of the user when in a lying, sitting and in an in-between resting position. Both these apparatuses when deployed provides the user with one fixed height for elevating the feet and legs region of the body. The operating height is not selectable by the user during use for the most comfort or therapeutic effect.
It is an object of this invention to provide a portable appliance that can used to elevate the feet and lower region of the human body so as to serve to reduce the edema and swelling of the lower body extremities.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an inflatable prismoid shaped feet and legs elevator.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a foot elevator that provides support for the Achilles tendons, lower legs and feet.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a leg and foot elevator that can be deployed by the user from a lying, sitting or an in-between resting position.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a foot elevator with selectable levels of elevation.
These and other objects will become apparent during the course of the detailed description of the apparatus of this invention.
An air impervious material for use in the assembly of an inflatable foot and leg elevator designed to be applicable to situations where it is necessary to eliminate discomfort in the feet and lower leg regions of the body by elevating the feet above a plane that is coplanar with the axial center of a lying human body. The foot and leg elevator comprising: an inflatable material that describes a compound prismoid when deployed, a gas pump for inflating the foot elevator, a valve through which the inflating gas is introduced into the inner volume of the elevator and a non-slip mechanism to prevent the inadvertent displacement of the foot elevator during use.